Featured Research

from universities, journals, and other organizations

Major Boost Needed In Federal Support For Coal R&D, Report Says

Date:

June 21, 2007

Source:

The National Academies

Summary:

Because coal will continue to provide a substantial portion of US energy for at least the next several decades, a major increase in federal support for research and development is needed to ensure that this natural resource is extracted efficiently, safely, and in an environmentally responsible manner, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Research Council.

Share This

Because coal will continue to provide a substantial portion of U.S. energy for at least the next several decades, a major increase in federal support for research and development is needed to ensure that this natural resource is extracted efficiently, safely, and in an environmentally responsible manner, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Research Council. Policymakers also need a more accurate assessment of the extent and location of the nation's coal reserves, the report adds. It recommends an increase of about $144 million annually in new federal funding across a variety of areas.

Related Articles

Congress asked the Research Council to undertake a broad examination of U.S. needs for coal-related R&D -- focusing on resource assessment, mining, and processing -- and to recommend funding levels required to meet these needs. The committee was also asked to consider how best to organize federal coal research. It recommended that, rather than creating a single, integrated multi-agency R&D program, specific research needs should be addressed by partnerships among federal agencies and relevant outside groups.

Over half the nation's electricity is currently generated by burning coal, but future levels of coal use will be largely determined by the timing and stringency of regulations to control carbon emissions, the report says. Coal use over the next 10 to 15 years -- until about 2020 -- could climb as high as 25 percent above 2004 levels, or drop as much as 15 percent below them, depending on environmental policies and economic conditions.

By 2030, the uncertainty increases even more, the report says; coal use could range from about 70 percent above current levels to 50 percent below them. "Given the degree of uncertainty about future coal use, R&D policies need to accommodate a range of possible scenarios," said Corale Brierley, chair of the committee that wrote the report and president of Brierley Consultancy LLC, Highlands Ranch, Colo.

The report adds that the coal mines of the future will face a variety of new and more difficult challenges, as more easily reached coal seams are depleted and the industry turns to less accessible reserves.

Coal Reserves

To formulate national energy policies, federal policymakers need accurate estimates of the amount, location, and quality of mineable coal. Such estimates are particularly important for community, workforce, and infrastructure planning. It is clear that there is enough coal at current rates of production to meet anticipated needs through 2030, and probably enough for 100 years, the committee said. However, it is not possible to confirm the often-quoted assertion that there is a sufficient supply for the next 250 years.

The report recommends a federal-state-industry initiative to determine the size and characteristics of the nation's recoverable coal, with the goal of providing policymakers with a full account of these reserves within 10 years. The initiative should be led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration, states, and industry, and will require additional funding of approximately $10 million per year.

Health and Safety

Many factors will increase risks to mine workers in the future -- the mining of deeper seams, for example, and of seams that lie over or under previously mined out areas. Research is needed to improve escape and rescue procedures, communications systems, and emergency preparedness, the committee said. It also recommended better training for workers in all aspects of mine safety.

Mitigating dangers from explosions and fires should also be a research priority, as should improving mine ventilation and the stability of roofs in mine shafts. Research should address how best to control methane from coal mines, both to prevent release of a potent greenhouse gas and provide a valuable addition to natural gas supplies.

And R&D should be directed toward reducing mine workers' exposure to dangerous conditions by developing better remote sensing technologies and increased automation of mining operations. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) should lead an initiative involving the Mining Safety and Health Administration and industry -- an effort that will require additional federal funds of approximately $35 million annually, the committee said.

Environmental Protection and CO2 Management

As mining extracts coal from deeper and operationally more difficult seams, new environmental concerns will arise, and existing problems will be exacerbated, the report says. Research will need to find ways to mitigate disturbance of groundwater and surface water systems, for example, and to minimize the risk of ground collapse over mined areas. It will also have to better determine how to mitigate the effects of past mining practices, particularly acid mine drainage on abandoned mine lands.

The report recommends an increase of $60 million annually for R&D on how to lessen adverse environmental impacts. The U.S. Department of Interior's Office of Surface Mining should lead this initiative, with participation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, states, and industry.

If coal is to continue being a primary component of the nation's energy supply in a carbon-constrained world, large-scale demonstrations of technologies that can effectively capture and store carbon emissions will be needed, the report observes. USGS, working with DOE and the states, should lead a more-comprehensive nationwide assessment of geological formations -- for example, depleted oil and gas fields -- that could store CO2, the committee said. It estimated that this assessment would require USGS funding of $10 million annually for five years, to supplement DOE's existing research funds.

Mine Productivity

The rapid growth in productivity experienced by U.S. coal mines over the last three decades has slowed in recent years, and is now moving forward only incrementally, the report says. In the past decade, little research and development was directed toward developing technologies that could spur dramatic advances in mining productivity.

The report recommends a renewed research effort on advanced mining and processing technologies that would optimize use of the nation's coal. This effort should involve federal agencies and universities, as well as funding, guidance, and technology transfer from industry. The research recommended will require an additional $29 million in federal funds per year; an additional $30 million should be provided by nonfederal sources, including industry. DOE's Office of Fossil Energy should lead this initiative, with participation by the National Science Foundation, Office of Surface Mining, NIOSH, academic institutions, and industry.

The study was sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining. The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies. They are private, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under a congressional charter. The Research Council is the principal operating agency of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. A committee roster follows.

More From ScienceDaily

More Earth & Climate News

Featured Research

Mar. 3, 2015 — Attendance at schools exposed to high levels of traffic-related air pollution is linked to slower cognitive development among 7- to 10-year-old children in Barcelona, according to a new ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — While studying a ground-nesting bird population near El Reno, Okla., a research team found that stress during a severe weather outbreak of May 31, 2013, had manifested itself into malformations in ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Researchers studied quartz from the San Andreas Fault at the microscopic scale, the scale at which earthquake-triggering stresses originate. The results could one day lead to a better understanding ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — The 3-D printing scene, a growing favorite of do-it-yourselfers, has spread to the study of plasma physics. With a series of experiments, researchers have found that 3-D printers can be an important ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Researchers have developed a new way of rapidly screening yeasts that could help produce more sustainable biofuels. The new technique could also be a boon in the search for new ways of deriving ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — For almost a century, scientists have been puzzled by a process that is crucial to much of the life in Earth's oceans: Why does calcium carbonate, the tough material of seashells and corals, ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Major cities in the UK are falling behind their international counterparts in terms of their use of smart technologies, according to a new study. The research has found that smart cities in the UK, ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — To simulate chimp behavior, scientists created a computer model based on equations normally used to describe the movement of atoms and molecules in a confined space. An interdisciplinary research ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Rather than just waiting patiently for any pollinator that comes their way to start the next generation of seeds, some plants appear to recognize the best suitors and 'turn on' to increase the chance ... full story

Featured Videos

Looted and Leaking, South Sudan's Oil Wells Pose Health Risk

AFP (Mar. 3, 2015) — Thick black puddles and a looted, leaking ruin are all that remain of the Thar Jath oil treatment facility, once a crucial part of South Sudan&apos;s mainstay industry. Duration: 01:13
Video provided by AFP

Related Stories

Dec. 8, 2014 — Natural gas power plants produce substantial amounts of gases that lead to global warming. Replacing old coal-fired power plants with new natural gas plants could cause climate damage to increase ... full story

Dec. 11, 2013 — Four nuclear power plants, sources of low-emissions electricity, have announced closings this year. If plants continue to shut down instead of extending operations the nation risks losing 60 percent ... full story

June 17, 2013 — The value of a fuel's long-term usefulness and viability is judged through its energy return on investment; the comparison between the eventual fuel and the energy invested to create it. The ... full story

Mar. 20, 2013 — An innovative new process that releases the energy in coal without burning -- while capturing carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas -- has passed a milestone on the route to possible commercial ... full story

Oct. 29, 2012 — The US is burning less coal due to shale gas production, however millions of tons of unused coal are being exported to the UK, Europe and Asia. As a result, the emissions benefits of switching fuels ... full story

ScienceDaily features breaking news and videos about the latest discoveries in health, technology, the environment, and more -- from major news services and leading universities, scientific journals, and research organizations.